Article carrier for a grading apparatus

ABSTRACT

An article carrier ( 1 ) including means ( 3 ) for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor, a carrier frame ( 4 ) located over said means ( 3 ) for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor and movable about a pivot ( 5 ) so as to be locatable in a carriage position, in which articles ( 2 ) may be supported on the carrier frame ( 4 ), and an ejection position, in which articles ( 2 ) are ejected from the carrier frame ( 4 ); and a locking member ( 6 ); wherein when the carrier frame ( 4 ) is located in the carriage position, the locking member ( 6 ) is locatable in a first position that prevents movement of the carrier frame ( 4 ) about said pivot ( 5 ) and is movable into a second position that releases the carrier frame ( 4 ), allowing the carrier frame ( 4 ) to move about the pivot. The article carrier ( 1 ) may be used as part of a grading apparatus.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to article carriers for use in a gradingapparatus and in particular, but not exclusively to carriers used aspart of a grading apparatus for articles such as fruit.

BACKGROUND

Article carriers are often used in fruit graders to transport fruitthrough various measurement stages for grading purposes and to ejectfruit at a required location dependent on the result of the gradingprocess. Such article carriers usually include an endless circuit ofcarriers or cups on a conveyor chain with the cups situated to unloadfruit at one of a plurality of stations.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,132 (Maier) describes a carriage for goods that isprovided with a tilting device that is fastened to a carriage frame andis equipped with a push rod which is used to tilt a transporting traydisposed on a horizontal shaft. The tray can be tilted in eitherdirection. The carriage includes a large number of components and thepush rod necessarily travels with the carriage, increasing thecomplexity and cost of the carriage.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,807 (Leverett) describes a cup that is freelypivotable at one end about a tow bar. The cup is supported in ahorizontal position by a pin that rides on an upper camming surface thatincludes drop spaces. Bridge struts allow the cup to ride over the dropspaces. The cup can only discharge articles in one direction.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,394 (Blanc) describes a two roller carriage that cantilt in one direction. The carriages include a lug that slide on a cam,causing lateral tilting of the carriage for article discharge.

The article carrier described in international publication no. WO94/14547 (Horticultural Automation Limited) allows unloading to bothsides of a conveyor, allowing increased unloading points for a givenlength of conveyor over a carrier that ejects to one side only. Thecontents of the carriers are also substantially shifted sideways ratherthan being “kicked” or dropped, which may result in improvements infruit quality.

While carriers of the type described in WO 94/14547 have beensuccessfully used for article carriage and ejection, some inaccuracieshave been found to occur, which increase the reject volumes and productrecycling. Furthermore, particular fruit sizes and shapes can introduceinstability to the carrier. In particular if large misshapen fruit iscarried by the carrier in a position that creates an off-centre load, itis possible that the opposite side of the carrier to the centre ofgravity of the load may be lifted, resulting in some lateral movement ofthe carrier in the direction of the off-centre load, which increases theinstability and may result in spontaneous tipping of the carrier.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an article carrierthat has advantages over article carriers at present, or at least toprovide the public with a useful alternative.

Any reference in this specification to the prior art does not constitutean admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of thecommon general knowledge.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is providedan article carrier including means for mounting the article carrier to aconveyor, a carrier frame located over said means for mounting thearticle carrier to a conveyor and freely movable about a pivot so as tobe locatable in a carriage position, in which articles may be supportedon the carrier frame, and an ejection position, in which articles areejected from the carrier frame, and a locking member, wherein when thecarrier frame is located in the carriage position, the locking member islocatable in a first position that prevents movement of the carrierframe about said pivot and is movable vertically into a second positionthat releases the carrier frame, allowing the carrier frame to moveabout the pivot.

Preferably, the carrier frame may be shaped and positioned relative tothe means for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor so as to holdarticles located thereon substantially centred vertically of the pivotwhen the carrier frame is in the carriage position. Preferably, when anarticle is located on said carrier frame, substantially no weight of thearticle is borne by the locking member.

Preferably, the locking member may be secured to the carrier frame so asto move with the carrier frame about the pivot and includes a portionthat extends to both sides of the pivot, whereby at least after thecompletion of vertical movement of the locking member from the firstposition to the second position, motive force applied to the lockingmember in the direction of the second position acts to cause the carrierframe to move about the pivot.

Preferably, the carrier frame may be movable from the carriage positionin either direction about said pivot so as to be operable to ejectarticles located thereon to either side of the article carrier.

In one embodiment, the carrier frame may be adapted to hold articlesthereon so as to be centred in a plane horizontally offset of the pivotwhen the carrier frame is in the carriage position and wherein thecarrier frame can pivot about said pivot in the direction of saidarticle when the locking member is in the second position.

Preferably, the carrier frame may be dissociable from the means formounting the article carrier to a conveyor the pivot by disassemblingsaid pivot. The locking member may include a catch to maintain thecarrier frame over the means for mounting the article carrier to aconveyor when the carrier frame is disassociated from the means formounting the article carrier to a conveyor. Also, the carrier frame mayinclude at least one support surface allowing the carrier frame to reston a weigh bridge when it is disassociated from the means for mountingthe article carrier to a conveyor. The carrier frame may further includea roller, whereby the roller can be raised by disassembling the pivotand the carrier frame is shaped and dimensioned so that when the rolleris raised to a certain extent, articles can be supported predominantlyor solely by the rollers of two adjacent article carriers.

Preferably, the locking member is movable vertically by a direct forceapplied thereto.

Preferably, the locking member in use may interlock the carrier frameand means for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor through atleast one projection engaging with at least one stop.

Preferably, the locking member may include at least one downwardlyextending projection that engages with a stop provided on the means formounting the article carrier to a conveyor and wherein the one or moreprojections move over the top of said stop when the locking member ismoved to the second position.

Preferably, the locking member may be engaged with the carrier frame andmove with the carrier frame about said pivot.

Preferably, in use, when the article carrier is in the carriageposition, the locking member may tend to move into the first positiondue to gravity and is movable upwards to enter the second position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is providedan article carrier including means for mounting the article carrier to aconveyor, a carrier frame located over said mounting means and freelymovable about a pivot so as to be locatable in a carriage position, inwhich articles may be supported on the carrier frame, and an ejectionposition, in which articles are ejected from the carrier frame, and amovable locking member, wherein when the carrier frame is located in thecarriage position, the vertical component of the weight of an articlelocated on the carrier frame is borne by the carrier frame and means formounting the article carrier to a conveyor, to the exclusion of thelocking member and the locking member is locatable in a first position,in which movement of the carrier frame about said pivot is prevented andis locatable, by a direct force applied to the locking member, in asecond position, in which the carrier frame can move about the pivot.

Preferably, the locking member may include at least one arm extendinglaterally of the pivot to which the direct linear force is applied tomove the locking member from the first position to the second position.

In one embodiment, the carrier frame may be shaped and positionedrelative to the means for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor soas to hold articles located thereon substantially centred vertically ofthe pivot when the carrier frame is in the carriage position.

In another embodiment, the carrier frame may be adapted to hold articlesthereon so as to be centred in a plane horizontally offset of the pivotwhen the carrier frame is in the carriage position and wherein thecarrier frame can pivot about said pivot in the direction of saidarticle when the locking member is in the second position.

Preferably, the pivot may be able to the disassembled, whereby thecarrier frame may be disassociated from the means for mounting thearticle carrier to a conveyor by removing the protrusion from the slot.The locking member may include a catch to maintain the carrier frameover the means for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor when thecarrier frame is disassociated from the means for mounting the articlecarrier to a conveyor. The carrier frame may include at least onesupport surface allowing the carrier frame to rest on a weigh bridgewhen it is disassociated from the means for mounting the article carrierto a conveyor. Also, the carrier frame may include a roller, whereby theroller can be raised by disassembling the pivot and the carrier frame isshaped and dimensioned so that when the roller is raised to a certainextent, articles can be supported solely by the rollers of two adjacentarticle carriers.

Preferably, in use, when the article carrier is in the carriageposition, the locking member may tend to move into the first positiondue to gravity and is movable upwards to enter the second position.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is providedan article carrier including a base portion engaged or engageable with aconveyor, a carrier portion removably pivotally engageable with the baseportion, and a latch extending between the base portion and carrierportion that is pivotally and/or slidably engaged at a first end to thecarrier portion and operable to interlock the carrier portion and baseportion when in a first position and release the carrier portion andbase portion when moved away from the first position, wherein in use,the latch includes a catch that, when the carrier portion is notpivotally engaged with the base portion, maintains the carrier portionover the base portion.

Preferably, the latch may be secured to the carrier portion and includeone or more downwardly extending projections that engage with a stopprovided on said base portion and wherein the one or more projectionsmove over the top of said stop when the latch is moved to the secondposition.

Preferably, the carrier portion may include at least one supportsurface, allowing the carrier portion to rest on a weigh bridge when itis not pivotally engaged with the base portion.

Preferably, the carrier portion may include a roller, whereby the rollercan be raised by disassembling the pivot and the carrier portion isshaped and dimensioned so that when the roller is raised to a certainextent, articles can be supported solely by the rollers of two adjacentarticle carriers.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provideda grading apparatus for articles including an endless conveyor having aplurality of article carriers as defined in either claim 1 or claim 16of the accompanying claims, the grading apparatus including a number ofstations for receiving articles from said article carriers and includingactuators located at each station and/or provided with each carrier andmovable with each carrier, wherein each actuator is operable under thecontrol of a controller to move the locking member from said firstposition to release the carrier frame from the means for mounting thearticle carrier to a conveyor.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provideda grading apparatus for articles including an endless conveyor having aplurality of article carriers as defined in claim 25 of the accompanyingclaims, the grading apparatus including a number of stations forreceiving articles from said article carriers and including actuatorslocated at each station and/or provided with each carrier and movablewith each carrier, wherein each actuator is operable under the controlof a controller to move the latch from said first position to releasethe carrier portion from the base portion.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provideda grading apparatus for articles including an endless conveyor having aplurality of article carriers as defined in claim 4 of the accompanyingclaims, the grading apparatus including a number of stations forreceiving articles from said article carriers and including actuatorslocated at each station and/or provided with each carrier and movablewith each carrier, wherein each actuator is operable under the controlof a controller to move the locking member upwards away from said firstposition until it abuts a stop, wherein the actuator is operable toprovide an upwards motive force to said locking member after it hasabutted said stop, thereby perturbing the carrier frame about the pivot.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there isprovided an article carrier substantially as herein described withreference to FIGS. 1 to 5, FIG. 6 or FIGS. 7 to 9 of accompanyingdrawings.

Further aspects of the present invention may become apparent from thefollowing description, given by way of example only and with referenceto the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1: shows simplified a front view of an article carrier according toan aspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A-E: show the tipping action of the article carrier shown in FIG.1 from a carry position (FIG. 2A) to an ejection position (FIG. 2E).

FIGS. 3A and 3B: show a side view of the article carrier shown in FIG.1, with FIG. 3 a showing the carrier in a carry position and FIG. 3Bshowing the article carrier in a weighing position.

FIGS. 4A and 4B: show respectively a detailed perspective rear view andperspective front view of the article carrier of FIG. 1 without anarticle located thereon.

FIG. 5: shows an exploded view of the article carrier of FIGS. 3A and3B.

FIGS. 6A and 6B: show an end view of an alternative article carrieraccording to the present invention.

FIG. 7: shows a perspective view of a further alternative articlecarrier according to the present invention.

FIG. 8: shows a front view of the article carrier shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9: shows a partial cross-section through line GG in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Throughout the following description, unless specifically indicatedotherwise, like reference numerals refer to like components.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of an article carrier 1 according to a firstembodiment of the present invention, with an article, in this case anitem of fruit 2, located thereon. Some details of the article carrier 1have been omitted from FIG. 1 for purposes of clarity of explanation.

The article carrier 1 includes a mounting means 3 for mounting to anendless conveyor (not shown). The mounting means 3 shown in FIG. 1 maybe used to mount the article carrier to a chain linkage. However, thoseskilled in the relevant arts will appreciate that various other mountingmeans may be used, particularly where the endless conveyor is not achain linkage. The article carrier 1 and endless conveyor may be used inan article grading system, similar to that described in the applicant'sinternational publication number WO 94/14547, which is herebyincorporated herein in its entirety.

The mounting means 3, which may be an integral component or assembledfrom a plurality of discrete components and may optionally bepermanently engaged to a conveyor, may include a clip 3A for attachmentto a chain of the endless conveyor and includes a stop 3B that extendsupwards from the clip 3A. A carrier frame 4 is mounted to the mountingmeans 3 through a pivot 5. The carrier frame 4 can thus move about thepivot 5 as indicated by arrow A. The carrier frame 4 includes a supportsurface 4A on which the item of fruit 2 is supported and a column 4E(see FIG. 2) separating the support surface 4A from the pivot 5. In thisembodiment, the carrier frame 4 also includes a roller 4C, which allowsa rotational force to be applied to the item of fruit 2 (see hereinbelow), which may be required, for example, to rotate the item of fruit2 below an optical sensor. Other carrier frame structures that cansupport an article and move about a pivot provided in the mounting meansmay be used, with or without a roller.

The length of the column 4E is preferably the minimum possible in orderto reduce the height at which item of fruit 2 is carried and thereforereduce any damage to the fruit that may otherwise occur during tippingof the carrier frame 4. The minimum length of the column 4E may beconstrained by the diameter of the roller 4C and its location relativeto the chain on which the article carrier 1 is mounted, as clearance isrequired to allow the carrier frame 4 to tip.

A latch or locking member 6 is engaged to the carrier frame 4, or morepreferably, as described in more detail herein below with reference toFIGS. 3A and 3B, is engaged between the carrier frame 4 and mountingmeans 3. In FIG. 1 the locking member 6 is in a first position so as toengage the carrier frame 4 with the stop 3B of the mounting means 3. Thelocking member 6 is moveable away from the first position uponapplication thereto of an appropriate motive force. The locking member 6may thus be pivotally or slidably engaged with rest of the articlecarrier 1 to facilitate this movement from the first position.

The locking member 6 includes one or more projections for engaging withthe mounting means 3 in an interlocking relationship. In the embodimentshown in FIG. 1, the locking member includes two projections 6A, whichengage with the sides of the stop 3B when the carrier frame 4 andlocking member 6 are in the first position. However, the locking membermay include one or more than two projections, to enable the interlockingengagement. The locking member 6 is movable upwards away from the firstposition, as indicated by arrow B, so that the projections 6A disengagewith the sides of the stop 3B, allowing the carrier frame 4 to moveabout the pivot 5, with the projections 6A passing over top of the stop3B. The mounting means 3 may alternatively have projections that engagewith recesses provided in the carrier frame 4.

The pivot 5 is formed by a projection 4D that is removably received by aslot 3C of the mounting means 3. The slot 3C may also act to limit theextent to which the carrier frame 4 can move about the pivot 5. Thoseskilled in the relevant arts will appreciate that movement of thecarrier frame about the pivot 5 may be limited in other ways, in whichcase the projection 4D and slot 3C may both be annular.

Further projections 6B and 4B may be provided on the locking member 6and carrier frame 4 respectively to guide the movement of the lockingmember 6.

FIGS. 2A-E show progressively the tipping action of the article carrier1. In FIG. 2A, the article carrier 1 is in a carry position, which isthe same position as shown in FIG. 1. The carrier frame 4 is preferablyshaped so that the centre of gravity of the item of fruit 2 is locatedsubstantially vertically above the pivot 5. The centre of the carrierframe 4 may be located substantially vertically above the pivot 5 toassist in the location of the item of fruit in a required position.While it is preferred that the carrier frame 4 is shaped so as to alwayshold the item of fruit 2 in substantially the same position, somevariation may occur.

Sideways movement of the carrier frame 4 is resisted by the projections6A resting against the stop 3B. The location of the fruit 2 directlyabove the pivot point 5 reduces the frictional force between theprojections 6A and stop 3B, as the location of the centre of gravity ofthe fruit, indicated by arrow C, directly above the pivot pointminimises the turning moment applied about the pivot 5. This may reducethe required actuator power to move the locking member 6 over prior arttipping mechanisms where the locking member or mechanism bears at leastsome of the weight of the fruit 2. If the fruit centre of gravity isoff-centre, the projections 6A prevent sideways shift of the carrierframe 4 and therefore the spontaneous tipping of carriers of the priorart may be avoided. The projections 6A and stop 3B may be locatedproximate a vertical line extending from the pivot 5 in order to reducethe frictional engagement of the locking member 6 with the mountingmeans 3 should the load on the carrier frame 4 be off-centre.

Referring to FIG. 2B, an actuator 7 may move up as indicated by arrow Dso as to contact an arm 6C of the locking member 6 to move the lockingmember 6 away from the first position. This lifts the locking member 6away from the first position to the position shown in FIG. 2B, alsolifting the projections 6A above the stop 3B. The carrier frame 4 isthen free to move about the pivot 5 and assuming that the load iscentred on the pivot 5, the slightest perturbation will cause thecarrier frame 4 to fall to one side. The actuator 7 may provide thisperturbation by continuing to provide a motive force against the lockingmember 6 after it has reached the end of its movement away from thefirst position, abutting the carrier frame 4. If there is frictionbetween the locking member 6 and carrier frame 4, the requiredperturbation may be provided prior to the locking member 6 completingits movement. However, in the preferred form of this embodiment, thefriction will be minimised due to the locking member 6 not bearing anyweight of an article on the carrier frame, due to the central locationof the carrier frame 4 over the pivot 5 and the central location of theprojections 6A.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2C, the actuator 7 also controls thedirection of fall towards the opposite side due to acting to the side ofthe pivot 5. Where the load is centred on the side of the actuator 7,increased force is required to shift the centre of gravity to theopposite side of the pivot 5 in order to control the direction of fall.The fall continues through the position shown in FIG. 2D until theprotrusion 4D contacts the edge of the slot 3C, ceasing the movement ofthe carrier frame 4 in an ejection position shown in FIG. 2E. The itemof fruit 2 will be ejected from the article carrier 1 into a suitablereceptacle (not shown).

Thus, the actuator 7 does not need to lift the item of fruit 2 or thecarrier frame 4 and it does not need to move a locking member that isunder load, all it needs to do is lift the locking member 6 and providea perturbation to the carrier frame 4. This may reduce the requiredactuator power in comparison to carriers in which the actuator must liftthe fruit or remove a pin or equivalent that is under the weight of thefruit. Also, improved reliability may result due to the carrier beingstable when it is in the position shown in FIG. 2A, but unstable as soonas the locking member is moved away from its engagement position,allowing relatively small forces to result in the tipping action.Furthermore, the article carrier 1 and actuator 7 may be robust,relatively cheap to manufacture and relatively easy to install incomparison to many existing article carriers.

When the article carrier 1 is mounted to an endless conveyor, thecarrier frame 4 will return to its position shown in FIG. 2A when thearticle carrier 1 is turned upside down. Suitable guides about theendless conveyor may be provided to maintain the carrier frame in thisposition while the endless conveyor returns the article carrier 1 to itsvertical position, allowing the projections 6A to reengage with the stop3B. The locking member 4 may be slightly biased downwards, although thisis not essential.

The actuator 7 may be located in a position opposite a station wherearticles are to be ejected from the article carrier 1. Thus, the articlecarriers 1 may move on an endless conveyor past a series of actuatorslocated on either side of the endless conveyor. A controller (not shown)may cause a particular actuator 7 to actuate and move into a position sothat the locking member 6 of a selected article carrier 1 is pushed awayfrom the first position when the article carrier 1 is next to it toeject the fruit at that station. Actuators 7 may be provided on bothsides of the endless conveyor, allowing ejection of fruit to either sideof the endless conveyor. Alternatively, actuators 7 may be provided oneach article carrier 1 and move with the article carrier, whereby thecontrol means actuates the required actuator when the article carrier 1is located opposite a required ejection station. Although actuators maybe provided both at fixed locations and on the article carriers 1, thiswould in most circumstances represent an unnecessary duplication.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a side view of the article carrier 1 isshown. For clarity, the locking member 6 is shown in partial cutawayform to expose its connection to the carrier frame 4 and mounting means3. The locking member 6 in this embodiment extends between the carrierframe 4 and mounting means 3 and prevents the carrier frame 4 fromtipping backwards off the mounting means 3. In an alternativeembodiment, the locking member 6 may be engaged at both ends to thecarrier frame 4, with protrusions that extend down to engage with themounting means 3 to lock the carrier frame 4 in position.

FIG. 3A shows the carrier 1 in a carry position for transporting anyarticle located on the carrier along the endless conveyor to which thecarrier 1 is attached. The carrier frame 4 is secured to the lockingmember 6 through a pivot 7 and the locking member 6 has a catch 6D thatextends partially about a pivot 8 extending from the mounting means 3.The mounting means 3 includes a channel 3D below the pivot 8 to allowthe catch 6D to travel past the mounting means 3 below the pivot 8 whenthe carrier frame 4 is moving about the pivot 5 when tipping.

In the carry position, the projection 4D extends through the slot 3C. Inaddition, the roller 4C rests on a support 3E. Therefore, the weight ofany article on the carrier 4 is borne by the mounting means 3 throughthe roller 4C and column 4E and pivot point 3F (see FIG. 5), leaving noloading on the locking member 6.

FIG. 3B shows the article carrier 1 in a weighing position that enablesa weighbridge W, the upper surface of which only is shown for clarity,to measure the weight of an article placed on the carrier frame 4. Asthe article carrier travels in the direction indicated by arrow E, ittravels past a weighbridge, which extends past the periphery of thecarrier frame 4 just above the locking member 6 so as to contact thecarrier frame 4 and force it upwards into the position shown in FIG. 3B.The upwards and backwards movement caused by the weighbridge W causesthe protrusion 4D to move out of the slot 3C as indicated by arrow F.When the article carrier 1 is in this position, the locking member 6performs the additional function of keeping the carrier frame 4 inlocation over the mounting means 3, allowing the carrier frame 4 toreturn to the position shown in FIG. 3A once the weighbridge W isremoved.

The item of fruit 2 may be rotated using a drive that contacts the loweredge of the roller 4C and the roller of a like article carrierimmediately in front of the article carrier 1 and lifts the roller uppast the position shown in FIG. 3B until the item of fruit is supportedonly by the roller 4C and the roller of the article carrier in front.The drive can then rotate both rollers in the same direction, causingthe item of fruit to rotate. Again, the locking member 6 performs thefunction of retaining the carrier frame 4 over the mounting means 3.

Therefore, when the carrier frame 4 is in the position shown in FIG. 3B,apart from the locking member 6 acting as a pivotal linkage between thecarrier frame 4 and mounting means 3, the carrier frame 4 isdisassociated from the mounting means 3. This allows an accurate measureof the weight of an article on the carrier frame 4 to be measured, whichwould be the recorded weight less the weight of the carrier frame 4,which would be known in advance. Once weighing has been completed, thearticle carrier 1 continues moving in direction D off the weighbridge W,allowing the carrier frame 4 to return to the position shown in FIG. 3A,guided into place by the support 3E.

Often processing lines include an optical scanner to assist in grading.Having articles rotate beneath the optical scanner allows an increasedsurface area to be viewed from a single perspective. The article carrier1 facilitates this rotation in combination with an adjacent articlecarrier. A v-belt (not shown) is provided at a level to contact theroller 4C and move it upwards. Like during the weighing operation, thiscauses the protrusion 4D to move out of the slot 3C. For rotation, thev-belt pushes the roller 4C further upwards than shown in FIG. 3B untilthe articles on the carrier frame 4 are supported only or predominantlyonly by two adjacent rollers 4C. The v-belt imparts a rotation to therollers 4C, which rotate the fruit.

Fruit that is first loaded onto the rollers, particularly misshapenfruit, may be unstable and require additional support. This may beachieved by guiding the fruit past a soft brush material (not shown)that is located so as to maintain the fruit on the rollers. The softbrush material may be located to either side of the conveyor and may beangled downwards and inwards, so as to form a partial “V” shape centredon the conveyor. The brush material may extend along the conveyor in theregion where the rollers are raised for a length of approximately 1-2metres.

FIG. 4A shows a front perspective view and FIG. 4B shows a rearperspective view of the article carrier 1, including further details.The mounting means 3, carrier frame 4 and locking member 6 are shown inFIGS. 4A and 4B.

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of the article carrier 1. The articlecarrier 1 may be supplied in kitset form with the separate componentsshown in FIG. 4.

In an alternative embodiment, the locking member 6 fixedly engaged withthe mounting means 3 so that it remains in position when the carrierframe 4 tips to either side. In this embodiment the actuator may causethe latch to move downwards to disengage the carrier frame 4 from themounting means 3 and allowing the carrier frame 4 to move about thepivot 5. This embodiment may be less preferred, due to requiring a morecomplex actuator arrangement.

Those skilled in the relevant arts will appreciate that the stop 3B,carrier frame 4 and locking member 6 may have various shapes andconfigurations that are still operable to cause the locking member tomaintain the carrier frame in a fixed position relative to the mountingmeans when it is in a first position and allow the carrier frame to moveabout a pivot when the locking member is moved away from the firstposition. The actuator used with the present invention may also bevaried depending on the shape and configuration used for the stop,carrier frame and locking member.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show a front view of an article carrier 10 according toa second embodiment of the present invention. Some details of thearticle carrier 10 have been omitted from FIGS. 6A and 6B for purposesof clarity of explanation. The article carrier 10 actually includes twoarticle carriers 10A and 10B, which in use operate to eject fruit toopposing sides of the article carrier 10.

The article carrier 10 includes a single mounting means 30 for mountingto an endless conveyor (not shown), which may be a chain linkage. Themounting means 30, which may be an integral component or assembled froma plurality of discrete components, may include a clip 31 for attachmentto a chain of the endless conveyor. For clarity, the followingdescription refers solely to article carrier 10A, with article carrier10B being a mirror image of article carrier 10A.

A carrier frame 40 is mounted to the mounting means 30 through a pivot(obscured). The location of the pivot is indicated by P in FIGS. 6A and6B. The carrier frame 40 can thus move about its pivot as indicated byarrow F. Unlike the carrier frame 4 of the article carrier 1 shown inFIG. 1, the carrier frame 40 can only pivot in one direction andtherefore only eject fruit to one side of the article carrier 10. Thecarrier frame 40 includes a support surface 40A on which the item offruit 2 is supported and a column 40E (obscured) separating the supportsurface 4A from the pivot. The carrier frame 40 also includes a roller40C, forming part of the support surface 40A, which allows a rotationalforce to be applied to the item of fruit 2 in the same way as roller 4Cof article carrier 1. Other carrier frame structures that can support anarticle and move about a pivot provided in the mounting means may beused, with or without a roller.

A locking member 60 is engaged between the carrier frame 40 and mountingmeans 30. The locking member 60 includes projections 61 and 62 thatengage with the stop 32 to hold the article carrier 10A in the positionshown in FIG. 6A. The locking member 60 is moveable upwards uponapplication thereto of an appropriate motive force, disengaging theprojections 61, 62 from the stop 32 and allowing the carrier frame 40 tomove about its pivot. The locking member 60 may thus be pivotally orslidably engaged with rest of the article carrier 10A to facilitate thisupwards movement. Projection 61 may be omitted if the carrier frame 40is prevented from pivoting to the right by another stop.

The article carrier 10A positions the fruit outside of the location ofthe pivot and is therefore inherently instable. Therefore, as soon asthe locking member 60 is raised sufficiently for the projections 61 and62 to clear the stop 32, the carrier frame 40 moves to the positionshown in FIG. 6B and the fruit 2 is ejected. The movement of the carrierframe 40 may be stopped by the roller 40C contacting the mounting means30 or by any other suitable method.

An advantage of the article carrier 10A over the article carrier 1 isthat largely misshapen fruit will not result in the carrier frame 40tending to pivot to the right. Therefore, there is no need to provide aperturbation force in the required ejection direction. However, for thesame reason the projection 62 will always be forced against the stop 32,which may increase the actuator power required to lift the lockingmember 60. However, this force is minimised due to the small surfacearea of contact between the locking member 60 and carrier frame 40.Reducing the force required to lift the locking member 60 needs to betraded off against the chance of the locking member being inadvertentlyraised, perhaps due to vibration from the movement of the conveyingmeans.

The article carrier 10A may have a pivot and other details the same asor similar to the article carrier 1, allowing fruit 2 to be supportedbetween rollers of adjacent article carriers and allowing weighing ofthe fruit if required. If optical scanning is required, the articlecarriers 10A and 10B may be offset, allowing an optical scanner to viewthe side of an article on an article carrier 10A through the gap betweentwo article carriers 10B and vice-versa.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a further alternative article carrier100 according to the present invention. The article carrier 100, likearticle carrier 1 can tip in either direction and a carrier frame 400,located over a mounting means 300, is centred over a pivot 500. Alocking member 600 is slidably engaged with the carrier frame 400 andextends between the carrier frame 400 and mounting means 300 to maintainthe carrier frame 400 in its carriage position shown in FIG. 7. This isachieved by vertically extending protrusions and a stop (not shown)provided on the locking member 600 and mounting means 300. To releasethe carrier frame 400 from the mounting means 300, the locking member600 is moved upwards. Unlike the locking member 6 of article carrier 1,the locking member 600 does not extend backwards to a pivot pointlocated towards the rear of the carrier frame. Instead, the lockingmember is localised to the front of the article carrier 100.

FIG. 8 shows a front view of the article carrier 100 and FIG. 9 shows across section through line GG in FIG. 8. The locking member 600 includesa catch 601 that is in the shape of an inverted “L”, in contrast to the“U” shape catch of locking member 6. A cavity 301 is provided in themounting means 300 to provide clearance for the catch 601 when thecarrier frame 400 is lifted in the same way that article carrier 1 maybe lifted for weighing purposes (see FIG. 3B) or lifted to allowrotation of the article on the article carrier 100.

If weighing and rotation of the article on the article carriers 1, 10,100 is not required, those skilled in the relevant arts will appreciatethat the carrier frame does not need to become disassociated from themounting means. Therefore, the pivot between the carrier frame andmounting means does not need to come apart and the locking member doesnot need to have a catch to hold the carrier frame over the mountingmeans. However, to provide increased functionality, the preferredembodiment of the article carrier of the present invention allows atleast one of weighing and rotation of the articles.

In a further alternative embodiment, the locking member 600 may beslidably and/or pivotally engaged with the mounting means 300, biasedupwards, and inverted so that downward movement of the locking memberreleases the carrier frame 400. However, this represents a lesspreferred embodiment, due to the increased complexity of the carrierresulting from having to bias the locking member and the more complexactuator arrangement required to move a locking member downwards insteadof upwards.

The components of the article carriers 1, 10, 100 may be constructedusing a plastic injection moulding process. The material may, forexample, be 30% glass reinforced nylon, although other suitablematerials will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts.

Where in the foregoing description, reference has been made to specificcomponents or integers of the invention having known equivalents thensuch equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth.

Although this invention has been described by way of example and withreference to possible embodiments thereof, it is to be understood thatmodifications or improvements may be made thereto without departing fromthe scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

1. An article carrier including: a) means for mounting the articlecarrier to a conveyor; b) a carrier frame located over said means formounting the article carrier to a conveyor and freely movable about apivot so as to be locatable in a carriage position, in which articlesmay be supported on the carrier frame, and an ejection position, inwhich articles are ejected from the carrier frame; and c) a lockingmember; wherein when the carrier frame is located in the carriageposition, the locking member is locatable in a first position thatprevents movement of the carrier frame about said pivot and is movablevertically into a second position that releases the carrier frame,allowing the carrier frame to move about the pivot.
 2. The articlecarrier of claim 1, wherein the carrier frame is shaped and positionedrelative to the means for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor soas to hold articles located thereon substantially centred vertically ofthe pivot when the carrier frame is in the carriage position.
 3. Thearticle carrier of claim 2, wherein when an article is located on saidcarrier frame, substantially no weight of the article is borne by thelocking member.
 4. The article carrier of claim 1, wherein the lockingmember is secured to the carrier frame so as to move with the carrierframe about the pivot and includes a portion that extends to both sidesof the pivot, whereby at least after the completion of vertical movementof the locking member from the first position to the second position,motive force applied to the locking member in the direction of thesecond position acts to cause the carrier frame to move about the pivot.5. The article carrier of claim 1, wherein the carrier frame is movablefrom the carriage position in either direction about said pivot so as tobe operable to eject articles located thereon to either side of thearticle carrier.
 6. The article carrier of claim 1, wherein the carrierframe is adapted to hold articles thereon so as to be centred in a planehorizontally offset of the pivot when the carrier frame is in thecarriage position and wherein the carrier frame can pivot about saidpivot in the direction of said article when the locking member is in thesecond position.
 7. The article carrier of claim 1, wherein the carrierframe is dissociable from the means for mounting the article carrier toa conveyor by disassembling said pivot.
 8. The article carrier of claim7, wherein the locking member includes a catch to maintain the carrierframe over the means for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor whenthe carrier frame is disassociated from the means for mounting thearticle carrier to a conveyor.
 9. The article carrier of claim 7 orclaim 8, wherein the carrier frame includes at least one support surfaceallowing the carrier frame to rest on a weigh bridge when it isdisassociated from the means for mounting the article carrier to aconveyor.
 10. The article carrier of claim 7, wherein the carrier frameincludes a roller, whereby the roller can be raised by disassembling thepivot and the carrier frame is shaped and dimensioned so that when theroller is raised to a certain extent, articles can be supported one ofpredominantly and solely by the rollers of two adjacent articlecarriers.
 11. The article carrier of claim 1, wherein the locking memberis movable vertically by a direct force applied thereto.
 12. The articlecarrier of claim 1, wherein the locking member in use interlocks thecarrier frame and means for mounting the article carrier to a conveyorthrough at least one projection engaging with at least one stop.
 13. Thearticle carrier of claim 1, wherein the locking member includes at leastone downwardly extending projection that engages with a stop provided onthe means for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor and wherein theat least one downwardly extending projection move over the top of saidstop when the locking member is moved to the second position.
 14. Thearticle carrier of claim 1, wherein the locking member is engaged withthe carrier frame and moves with the carrier frame about said pivot. 15.The article carrier of claim 1, wherein in use, when the article carrieris in the carriage position, the locking member tends to move into thefirst position due to gravity and is movable upwards to enter the secondposition.
 16. An article carrier including: a) means for mounting thearticle carrier to a conveyor; b) a carrier frame located over saidmounting means and freely movable about a pivot so as to be locatable ina carriage position, in which articles may be supported on the carrierframe, and an ejection position, in which articles are ejected from thecarrier frame; and c) a movable locking member; wherein when the carrierframe is located in the carriage position, the vertical component of theweight of an article located on the carrier frame is borne by thecarrier frame and means for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor,to the exclusion of the locking member and the locking member islocatable in a first position, in which movement of the carrier frameabout said pivot is prevented and is locatable, by a direct forceapplied to the locking member, in a second position, in which thecarrier frame can move about the pivot.
 17. The article carrier of claim16, wherein the locking member includes at least one arm extendinglaterally of the pivot to which the direct linear force is applied tomove the locking member from the first position to the second position.18. The article carrier of claim 16, wherein the carrier frame is shapedand positioned relative to the means for mounting the article carrier toa conveyor so as to hold articles located thereon substantially centredvertically of the pivot when the carrier frame is in the carriageposition.
 19. The article carrier of claim 16, wherein the carrier frameis adapted to hold articles thereon so as to be centred in a planehorizontally offset of the pivot when the carrier frame is in thecarriage position and wherein the carrier frame can pivot about saidpivot in the direction of said article when the locking member is in thesecond position.
 20. The article carrier of claim 16, wherein the pivotcomprises a protrusion extending into a slot and is able to bedisassembled, whereby the carrier frame may be disassociated from themeans for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor by removing theprotrusion from the slot.
 21. The article carrier of claim 20, whereinthe locking member includes a catch to maintain the carrier frame overthe means for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor when thecarrier frame is disassociated from the means for mounting the articlecarrier to a conveyor.
 22. The article carrier of claim 20, wherein thecarrier frame includes at least one support surface allowing the carrierframe to rest on a weigh bridge when it is disassociated from the meansfor mounting the article carrier to a conveyor.
 23. The article carrierof claim 20, wherein the carrier frame includes a roller, whereby theroller can be raised by disassembling the pivot and the carrier frame isshaped and dimensioned so that when the roller is raised to a certainextent, articles can be supported solely by the rollers of two adjacentarticle carriers.
 24. The article carrier of claim 16, wherein in use,when the article carrier is in the carriage position, the locking membertends to move into the first position due to gravity and is movableupwards to enter the second position.
 25. An article carrier including:a) a base portion one of engaged and engageable with a conveyor; b) acarrier portion removably pivotally engageable with the base portion; c)a latch extending between the base portion and carrier portion that isat least one of pivotally and slidably engaged at a first end to thecarrier portion and operable to interlock the carrier portion and baseportion when in a first position and release the carrier portion andbase portion when moved away from the first position; wherein in use,the latch includes a catch that, when the carrier portion is notpivotally engaged with the base portion, maintains the carrier portionover the base portion.
 26. The article carrier of claim 25, wherein thelatch is secured to the carrier portion and includes at least one ormore downwardly extending projection that engage with a stop provided onsaid base portion and wherein the at least one downwardly extendingprojection moves over the top of said stop when the latch is moved tothe second position.
 27. The article carrier of claim 25, wherein thecarrier portion includes at least one support surface, allowing thecarrier portion to rest on a weigh bridge when it is not pivotallyengaged with the base portion.
 28. The article carrier of claim 25,wherein the carrier portion includes a roller, whereby the roller can beraised by disassembling the pivot and the carrier portion is shaped anddimensioned so that when the roller is raised to a certain extent,articles can be supported solely by the rollers of two adjacent articlecarriers.
 29. A grading apparatus for articles including an endlessconveyor having a plurality of article carriers as claimed in claim 1,the grading apparatus including a number of stations for receivingarticles from said article carriers and including actuators located ateach station and/or provided with each carrier and movable with eachcarrier, wherein each actuator is operable under the control of acontroller to move the locking member from said first position torelease the carrier frame from the means for mounting the articlecarrier to a conveyor.
 30. A grading apparatus for articles including anendless conveyor having a plurality of article carriers as claimed claim25, the grading apparatus including a number of stations for receivingarticles from said article carriers and including actuators located ateach station and/or provided with each carrier and movable with eachcarrier, wherein each actuator is operable under the control of acontroller to move the latch from said first position to release thecarrier portion from the base portion.
 31. A grading apparatus forarticles including an endless conveyor having a plurality of articlecarriers as claimed in claim 4, the grading apparatus including a numberof stations for receiving articles from said article carriers andincluding actuators located at each station and/or provided with eachcarrier and movable with each carrier, wherein each actuator is operableunder the control of a controller to move the locking member upwardsaway from said first position until it abuts a stop, wherein theactuator is operable to provide an upwards motive force to said lockingmember after it has abutted said stop, thereby perturbing the carrierframe about the pivot.
 32. (canceled)
 33. A grading apparatus forarticles including an endless conveyor having a plurality of articlecarriers as claimed in claim 16, the grading apparatus including anumber of stations for receiving articles from said article carriers andincluding actuators located at each station and/or provided with eachcarrier and movable with each carrier, wherein each actuator is operableunder the control of a controller to move the locking member from saidfirst position to release the carrier frame from the means for mountingthe article carrier to a conveyor.
 34. An article carrier comprising: a)means for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor; b) a carrier frameassociated with said means for mounting the article carrier to aconveyor and freely movable about a pivot so as to be locatable in acarriage position, in which articles may be supported on the carrierframe, and an ejection position, in which articles are ejected from thecarrier frame, wherein the carrier frame is shaped and positionedrelative to the means for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor sothat when the carrier frame is in the carriage position, articles arelocated thereon substantially centred vertically of the pivot when thecarrier frame is in the carriage position; and c) a locking member;wherein when the carrier frame is located in the carriage position, thelocking member is locatable in a first position that prevents movementof the carrier frame about said pivot and is movable into a secondposition that releases the carrier frame, allowing the carrier frame tomove about the pivot.
 35. The article carrier of claim 34, wherein thelocking member travels vertically in order to move from the firstposition to the second position.
 36. The article carrier of claim 34,wherein the article carrier is substantially symmetrical about avertical plane through said pivot.
 37. The article carrier of claim 34,wherein the carrier frame is dissociable from the means for mounting thearticle carrier to a conveyor by disassembling the pivot.
 38. Thearticle carrier of claim 37, wherein the pivot comprises a protrusionextending into a slot and disassembling the pivot involves removing theprotrusion from the slot.
 39. The article carrier of claim 37, whereinthe carrier frame includes at least one support surface allowing thecarrier frame to rest on a means for weighing when it is disassociatedfrom the means for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor, therebyallowing the means for weighing to weigh the carrier frame with an itemlocated thereon.
 40. The article carrier of claim 34, wherein thelocking member includes a catch to maintain the relative position of thecarrier frame to the means for mounting the article carrier to aconveyor when the carrier frame is disassociated from the means formounting the article carrier to a conveyor.
 41. An article carriercomprising: a) means for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor; b)a first carrier frame located to one side of said means for mounting thearticle carrier to a conveyor and a second carrier frame located to theopposing side of said means for mounting the article carrier to aconveyor, wherein both the first and second carrier frames are freelymovable about a pivot so as to be locatable in a carriage position, inwhich articles may be supported on the carrier frame, and an ejectionposition, in which articles are ejected from the carrier frame in adirection away from the means for mounting the article carrier to aconveyor; and c) first and second locking members for the first carrierframe and second carrier frame respectively; wherein when the first andsecond carrier frames are located in the carriage position, the firstand second locking members are each locatable in a first position thatprevents movement of the carrier frame about said pivot and is movableinto a second position that releases the carrier frame, whereby thecarrier frame moves under the force of gravity about the pivot to theejection position.
 42. The article carrier of claim 41, wherein thefirst and second locking members travel vertically in order to move fromthe first position to the second position.
 43. The article carrier ofclaim 41, wherein the first and second locking members are movablebetween their respective first and second positions independently ofeach other so the first and second carrier frames are movable from thecarriage position to the ejection position independently of each other.44. The article carrier of claim 41, wherein the first and secondlocking members are secured to the first and second carrier framesrespectively so as to move with the carrier frame about the pivot. 45.The article carrier of claim 41, wherein each carrier frame isdissociable from the means for mounting the article carrier to aconveyor by disassembling said pivot.
 46. The article carrier of claim45, wherein the locking member includes a catch to maintain the carrierframe in position relative to the means for mounting the article carrierto a conveyor when the carrier frame is disassociated from the means formounting the article carrier to a conveyor.
 47. The article carrier ofclaim 45, wherein each carrier frame includes at least one supportsurface allowing the carrier frame to rest on a means for weighing whenthe carrier frame is disassociated from the means for mounting thearticle carrier to a conveyor, thereby allowing the means for weighingto weigh the carrier frame with an item located thereon.
 48. The articlecarrier of claim 45, wherein each carrier frame includes a roller,whereby the roller can be raised by disassembling the pivot and thecarrier frame is shaped and dimensioned so that when the roller israised to a certain extent, articles can be supported predominantly orsolely by the rollers of two adjacent article carriers.
 49. The articlecarrier of claim 41, wherein the locking member is movable vertically bya direct force applied thereto.
 50. The article carrier of claim 41,wherein each locking member in use interlocks its respective carrierframe and means for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor throughat least one projection engaging with at least one stop.
 51. The articlecarrier of claim 41, wherein each locking member includes at least onedownwardly extending projection that engages with a stop provided on themeans for mounting the article carrier to a conveyor and wherein the oneor more projections move over the top of said stop when the lockingmember is moved to the second position.
 52. The article carrier of claim41, wherein each locking member is engaged with its respective carrierframe and moves with the carrier frame about said pivot.
 53. The articlecarrier of claim 41, wherein in use, when each carrier frame is in thecarriage position, the respective locking member tends to move into thefirst position due to gravity and is movable upwards to enter the secondposition.
 54. The article carrier of claim 41, wherein the first andsecond carrier frames are both located in a plane transverse to thedirection of travel of the article carrier when in use.
 55. An articlecarrier including: a) means for mounting the article carrier to aconveyor; b) a carrier frame associated with said means for mounting thearticle carrier to a conveyor and movable about a pivot so as to belocatable in a carriage position, in which articles may be supported onthe carrier frame, and an ejection position, in which articles areejected from the carrier frame; and c) a movable control member thatselectively prevents or allows movement of the carrier frame about saidpivot; wherein the carrier frame is dissociable from the means formounting the article carrier to a conveyor by conveying the articlecarrier past one or more upwardly facing surfaces of a means forweighing, located to abut one or more downwardly facing surfaces on thecarrier frame.
 56. The article carrier of claim 55, wherein when thearticle carrier is in the carriage position and the carrier frame isassociated with the means for mounting the article carrier to aconveyor, said one or more downwardly facing surfaces on the carrierframe also has a component facing the direction in which the articlecarrier is conveyed.
 57. The article carrier of claim 56, wherein whenthe carrier frame is passed over said one or more upwardly facingsurfaces of a means for weighing, the carrier frame is tilted, therebydisassembling the pivot.
 58. The article carrier of claim 55, whereinthe carrier frame automatically associates with the means for mountingthe article carrier to a conveyor when the one or more downwardly facingsurfaces on the carrier frame no longer abuts the one or more upwardlyfacing surfaces of a means for weighing.